Washington According to a senior White House official with firsthand knowledge of the decision, President Joe Biden has chosen to pardon his son Hunter and is scheduled to make the announcement Sunday night.
The decision represents a reversal for the president, who has stated time and time again that he will not shorten his son’s sentence or use his presidential authority to pardon him. Prior to Hunter Biden’s sentencing on December 12 for his conviction on federal gun crimes, the pardon was granted. Hunter Biden, who entered a guilty plea to federal tax evasion charges in September, is also scheduled to be sentenced on December 16 in a different criminal matter.
According to those with direct knowledge of the conversations, the pardon is anticipated to include both Hunter Biden’s guilty plea and conviction on firearms crimes.
According to the senior White House official, Biden made the decision to pardon his son this past weekend and started telling his top aides about it on Sunday.
As the 82-year-old president approaches the conclusion of his tenure in office and has no upcoming elections to contend with, he is using his pardon power to ensure that Hunter Biden does not serve time in prison. Biden has stated in recent months that he would not commute his son’s sentence or grant him a pardon.
In June, when his son was convicted guilty on three federal firearms counts by a jury, the president declared, “I will not pardon him.”
Since at least Hunter Biden’s conviction in June, President Biden has talked about pardoning his son with some of his closest advisers, according to two people with firsthand knowledge of the discussions. They claimed that even though pardoning his son was still an option, the president decided at the time to publicly state that he would not do so.
Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre informed reporters that the president’s stance is unchanged.
That question has been posed to us several times. “Our response remains unchanged, which is no,” she added.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded, “The president has spoken to this,” when asked on Monday if the president is still adamant about refusing to grant mercy for his son. Bates responded, “I don’t have anything to add what he said already,” when asked if Biden’s stance had changed.
Jill Biden, the first lady, has also stated that her husband would not forgive their son.
In a June interview with NBC News, Jill Biden stated, “The bottom line is that Joe and I both respect the judicial system.”
The first criminal trial involving a sitting president’s kid took place in June for Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden’s father, who was running for re-election, would have faced political backlash if he had been pardoned following the trial’s end. For years, Republicans have accused Hunter Biden and the president of corruption and criticized him for his international business activities. They have also claimed that because of his father’s political influence, Hunter Biden was given preferential treatment by the Justice Department.
When Hunter Biden struck a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on the tax and gun charges in July 2023, it fell apart after a judge questioned it, igniting GOP criticism. As a result of that development, a few weeks later, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss, the U.S. attorney looking into Hunter Biden, as special counsel.
Although President Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July, a pardon before to Tuesday’s election might have had a negative political impact on Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign when she replaced him on the Democratic ticket.
Hunter Biden faces a maximum jail term of 42 years on all 12 counts on which he is found guilty or enters a guilty plea. However, convictions for these offenses usually do not result in the maximum terms. For example, according to the Justice Department, punishments are usually less than the maximum penalty of 17 years in jail for the tax offenses.
When asked if he would rule out a pardon for his son in an interview in June, Biden said that he would.
President Biden said he will respect the verdict in a statement a few days after a jury in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, found Hunter Biden guilty of federal gun charges. He then assured reporters that he would follow the jury’s verdict.
“I am so proud of my son Hunter,” Biden remarked. He is no longer addicted. I’m content that I won’t do anything because he’s one of the smartest, most kind men I know. I declared that I would follow the jury’s verdict. I won’t forgive him, but I will do that.
Although he has not been approached or informed by the current White House regarding any pardon plans, Neil Eggleston, the former White House Counsel to President Obama, said NBC News he would urge Biden to pardon his son.
Eggleston stated that if I were his White House attorney, I would urge him to forgive his son, Hunter. There are not many restrictions on the clemency power, and it would undoubtedly include a pardon for Hunter Biden.
Eggleston’s belief that the president needed to pardon his son is in line with that of several former White House and Justice Department officials who have previously participated in presidential pardons. These people told NBC News that they believed Biden ought to use this authority before the Trump administration takes office.
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